SAIEDAH BTE SAID, 22, TEAM SINGAPORE SILAT EXPONENT

Like most good athletes, Saiedah has lived and breathed her
particular sport since young. The fact that it is in her blood too, with
her grandfather being the person responsible for first introducing her
to silat, has undoubtedly help her to achieve the heights of success she
is enjoying in the sport. A fact which she readily admits, saying, “The
support from family...makes me what I am today”.

Her breakthrough season was in 2004 when she won four golds in
international tournaments including the Swiss Open Silat Championship.
This stunning performance was duly recognized back home when she was
awarded the accolade of “Sportsgirl of the Year 2004.”

These achievements show Said’s sheer determination to win. She
confesses that she “hates the feeling of losing.” It is, in her words,
“the drive of wanting to win” alongside support from coaches and friends
that settles those inevitable pre-match nerves and gives her the
confidence to compete. Unsurprisingly for such a competitive athlete,
she puts in a huge amount of work. Exactly how much? “Almost 30 hours a
week,” she says.

Now that you've read a brief profile on her, here's the news on Saiedah Said - she tested positive for banned substances.

Silat exponent Saiedah Said has been banned for
two years after testing positive for illegal substances during the
recent National Pencak Silat Championships.

SINGAPORE: Silat exponent Saiedah Said has been banned
for two years after testing positive for illegal substances during the
recent National Pencak Silat Championships.

This is the first time a silat athlete is banned by the National Anti-Doping Disciplinary Committee.
The former Sportsgirl of the Year tested positive for metabolites of sibutramine, which is widely used for treating weight loss.

According
to the Singapore Silat Federation chief Sheik Alau'ddin, Saiedah had
previously taken jamu to aid in recovery from competitive silat.

Jamu is a traditional herbal medicine widely used in Malaysia and Indonesia.

The two-year ban makes Saiedah ineligible to participate in any sport during the period.

Singapore, 5 June 2013 - Silat exponent
Saiedah Bte Said has tested positive for the banned substances
Nor-Sibutramine and OH-Nor Sibutramine (Metabolites of Sibutramine)
under the 2013 Prohibited List following in-competition testing at the
38th National Pencak Silat Championships on 14 April 2013.

2 The
28-year-old was informed by Anti-Doping Singapore (ADS) that she may
have committed a possible Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) on 21 May
2013. She requested for her 'B' sample to be analysed which subsequently
confirmed her 'A' sample result.

3 The National Anti-Doping
Disciplinary Committee (NADC), appointed by the Ministry of Culture,
Community and Youth (MCCY), convened yesterday (4 June 2013) to
deliberate on the case.

4 Following the meeting, the NADC has
imposed a Two-Year ban on Saiedah. She is ineligible to participate, as
an athlete or support personnel, in any sport during the period of the
ban. She is also disqualified from the 38th National Pencak Silat
Championships and all results, medals, points and prizes attained at the
event are forfeited.

5 Under the ADS Anti-Doping Rules,
Singapore Silat Federation is required to enforce the sanctions on
Saiedah immediately. She has until 17 June 2013 to submit an appeal to
the National Anti-Doping Appeals Committee (NAAC).

6 Said Ms Yeo
Say Po, Deputy Director of ADS, "Under the World Anti-Doping Code, the
rule of strict liability states that it is ultimately the athlete's sole
responsibility to ensure that anything that they ingest does not
contain any prohibited substance. This case is a reminder to all
athletes to be always mindful of what they consume to avoid falling foul
of any anti-doping rule violation."

Since the date today is 9/9/09... it would've been cool to post at either the morning or the evening at the time of 9:09:09 LOL Forgive...

Site Under Construction

Slowly but surely I've implemented changes to the site's look and functionality. I'm sure you have noticed the changes.Ecstatic that I've finally been able to successfully update my site closer more in line with my vision of it.

Not sure if it will be the final look of the site or not, but the Sojourn of Septillion Steps with respect to the site's look has already taken quite a few steps beyond the first!

I will still be endeavoring to put up information I think will benefit your martial arts training as well as your self-defense. I sincerely thank you for visiting/reading!